The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-01-14
IN THE WILD WEST.
Adventures Of an Old Hunter Who
Was Scalped.

How He Supposed Himself Twice Dead
Three Angry Bears Fighting to
Finish--ths Fate Of the Victor.
1t has often been said that man cal
not live after being scalped. One o
the Grow Indian scouts with Custer he
fore that brave officer met his fate. wa,
caught by a party Of Sioux alone on tn
prairie and scalped alive. His enemie.
cut pear-shaped piece out of the crown
of his head and left him writhing il
agony. surprising he would, of course
die. Notwithstanding all of which. the
redskin recovered. and at last account.
was living with his people on the Grow
reservation and doing well. There i
an old hunter in Western Montana
whose cabin is located on the eastern
slope If the Rocky mountains, who had
his hair raised some years ago by band
of savagcs. and vet he lives and thrivez
in most astonishing good health. The
old fellows name is Ganzio, and BY
reason of his advanced years would. in
the natural course Of events, have white
hair now, only that he has no hair at all
to speak Of. Still, what little he has
got, is whitcned or gray, the rest of his
head, "where the hair ought to grow
being as bald as u billiarl-ball. To be
exact, Ganzio did not lose his entire
scalp. but only a portion of it. The
probabilities are that he could moi
have survived with the loss of the whole
top of his head. Some few years ago,
when Sitting Bull was master of thi.
country, Ganzio was the guide of an
emigrant party en- route to Fort Lar
annie, Wy. T.
The story of that dangerous cxpedi-
ton is an exceedingly interesting one,
and as related by himself runs as fol-
lows: Zone day we were coming into
the valley Of Hut creek. on our way to
Fort Laramie, when we thought we saw
Indians coming down the creek to the
right. Instead of camping there. we
thought it safer to water our stock and
go on to the hills and make dry camp
in the bushes. / had been sent on
ahead up to the hill to reconnoiter, and
took with me boy named Kountze,
from Omaha. merely for company. We
sat down to wait for the wagons, which
were slowly coming up out of the val
ley. When the wagons reached rs
started on alone through the rocks and
pine bushes to seek good camp. A
few hundred yards further on looked
down ravine to the right and saw five
mounted Indians ride across the valley.
! started to 60 back to the train, when
at least = dozen Indians ran at me out
of the brush. and you bet I ran and
called for help. In a minute more two
or three of them shot at me. I felt a
sharp. singing pain in my right leg.
and another in my left shoulder, and l
fell. Then they were upon me in a
minute. and one Of them put his knee
on my back while another hit me =
clip with club. Another struck me
with the butt of q gun, and then I
became partly unconscious. Still l
had reason and feeling enough left to
know that was being scalped; for the
hair held SO tightly. and tho pain was
so awful. that l could not die then even
if / wanted to. I felt 4 hot, singing
pain all around the top Of my head
the hair being torn out by the roots. so
to speak-and it was too much. died,
or at least l thought l did; butas it hap
penetl my scalp, or q part of it. was
saved just rs it was being torn of. The
boys at the wagon had seen me rum
ming; saw the Indians, and came at a
rln-thirtccn of them, arriving just in
time to prevent the rcd devils finishing
their work. The Indians, as well as
my friends, thought I was dead. but
came to again, and what was left ofmy
scalp was laid back in place. 1t was
only half torn off you see, and the place
is pretty well healed now"
''What did You do with yourself At.
terward?" 1 inquired.
why, l hurried into Fort Laramie.
got the attention Of a physician and
went back to the States for while; but
the Western fever came strong upon me
again and I had to return to the noun
tains. where l have been ever since"
Observing four bear-skins ON the floor
two Of them immense in size-one
grizzly, one silver tip and two cinna-
mon hidcs), l made bold to ask Mr..
Ganzio if he was the slayer himself OF
they had been obtained from
somchDdy else.
NO" he replied. Il did not kill them
oil, but baggcd two out Of four-the
grizzly and the silver tip; and the other
Two cinnamon brutes were killed by the
very silver tip killed myself.
That was remarkable occurrence
yantDred to say. land If you have the
time To spare, GanziO. should like to
hear the stories connected with all
four"
''Well. You see" began the old timer,
''the grizzly hide over there on the
boards WAS killed more than twenty
years ago down iu Colorado. To own
he truth it happened so far back that
have forgotten the particulars; but the
'ilver tip next to it," lighting fresh
pipe and pointing out the one dcsignat-
ID. ''whilc not 30 big Is any Of the |
,thers. was the toughest customer Of
hem all and weighed. when dressed.